On Thursday, Kon Knueppel etched his place in Charlotte Hornets history. He surpassed Kemba Walker to become the third single-season leader in 3-pointers. Altogether, Knueppel has 261 3-pointers this year. In 2018-2019, Walker had 260.

In the process, the Hornets came away victorious over the Phoenix Suns 127-107. Altogether, Knueppel finished with 20 points and four 3-pointers.

Afterward, Knueppel was caught by surprise by coach Charles Lee, per Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer. Lee popped out of nowhere to throw water on Knueppel in celebration of his triumph.

As a result of the win, the Hornets are now 41-36 and have won back-to-back games. They currently stand in 8th place in the Eastern Conference standings, and the playoffs are approaching quickly.

Altogether, Knueppel is averaging 18.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. All the while, he is in a fierce battle for Rookie of the Year honors with Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks.

Both Flagg and Knueppel played at Duke together and led the Blue Devils to the Final Four in 2025. That summer, Flagg was the No.1 draft pick by the Mavericks. Meanwhile, Knueppel was the fourth pick by the Hornets.

Since then, Knueppel has been a central figure in carrying Charlotte into postseason contention. In terms of 3-point shooting, he is as efficient as they come. He is currently shooting 43.1% from the 3-point line and averages at least three 3-pointers a game.

Overall, Knueppel is shooting 48.2% from the field as well as 86.3% from the free-throw line. Recently, he became the youngest player in NBA history to notch 250 3-pointers in a single season at 20.